Improvement in detonating railway-signals



' F. H'ICKMAN.

DETONATING RAILWAY-SIGNAL.

HLW I l lill!! INVEJV'TR N. PETERS, PHCTO-UTHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON, D C.

y UNITED STATES PATENT QEEICE FRANCIS HIGKMAN, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVAEMENT IN DETONATING vRAILWAY-SIGNALS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 173,291, dated February 8, 1876; application led January 22, 1876.

vTo all whom it may concern:

Be -it known that I, FRANCIS HIGKMAN, of Reading, in the county of Berks and in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Detonating Bailway-Signals 5 and do hereby declare that 'the following is a full, clear, and.exact de scription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

My invention relates totorpedoes used on railroads, in which a pellet with covering-cap f is employed, and a ductile metal strap passed between them for fastening the torpedo to the rail 5 and the nature of my invention consists in forming the cap with recesses at its 'sides ofthe same. Fig.3 is a section through the line .r w, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section through the line y y, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a perspective view from the inside of a part of the cap.

A represents the usual case or pellet covered by a cap, B 5 and C is the ductile metal -strip passed between the case and cap, and

extending below the case for attaching the torpedo to the rail in the usual manner. On opposi te sides of the cap B are formed recesses a a, in which the ends of the ductile metal strip lie, and these recesses are extended from their upper ends a short distance inward in the top 'ofthe cap, as shown at b, so that, while the edge of the case A presses against the cap B at Vall other points, at the points b b there will be sufficient space to prevent the edge of the case from coming in contact with and cutting the ductile metal strap C, which lhas been a serious difficulty in this class of torpedoes. The recesses a with their inward extensions b may be formed in the cap by stamping with dies, or in any other suitabl manner. l

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent', is-

In a railroad-torpedo, composed of the case or pellet A, cap B, and ductile metal strip C, I claim the recesses a, with inward extensions b formed in the cap B, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth. I

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set vmy hand this,l7th day of December, 1875.

.FRANCIS HICKMAN.

Witnesses: HENRY BRIGKEE, F. M. BANKS. 

